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Lauren Schadegg
Professor Kennedy
English 1302
22 February 2009
The Amity of Power and Corruption
It is hard to imagine that someone who has a pure heart would turn into a corrupt
being. It is troubling to see a respectable person become a distasteful role model.
However, these people who are considered respectable and have a pure heart can change
faster than imaginable. When power is put into the hands of many humans, the instinct
can be to become a corrupt monster that is unstoppable. Power is a very addictive drug
that has a side effect of corruption and can be cured if one has the ability to let go. Letting
go of their desired power, however, is very difficult for most to do.
In a psychological study called the “Stanford Prison Experiment,” corruption
exploded from the empowered young men. Students from Stanford University were given
the option to volunteer for this study to spend two weeks in a mock prison. These
students were tested to make sure they were mentally and psychologically stable for this
study as well. The most surprising results occurred when looking at the way power
affected the students chosen to play the roles of guards. They became sadistic and cruel
towards the “prisoners.” Many of the prisoners became depressed and some had to be
released due to their psychological state of mind. The guards mistreated the mock
prisoners, and some of the more polite guards at the beginning of the study became the
most vicious at the end (Quiet Rage).
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One of the guards known as “John Wayne” became the most corrupt of the
guards. He confessed after the study that he conducted his own experiment within the
experiment. He was curious to see how far he could go without anyone fighting back.
Throughout his cruel punishments to the prisoners, he noticed that no one put up a fight.
When someone has as much power as “John Wayne” did, he makes everyone around
them feel vulnerable and restrain their actions (Quiet Rage).
Another way power has led to corruption is in the popular movie, Spider-man 3.
Peter Parker, “Spider-man,” had taken too much pride in himself because of the amount
of power he had obtained. After having a chemical take over his body, a new suit was
made for him giving him much power. The power continued to grow, and he ended up
acting much differently than the kind, heroic person New York had known. Even though
the new suit made him evil, very unlike his original heroic character, he did not want to
get rid of it. He felt a sense of power that he had never felt before, and it carried on to
him in his normal life. He began dressing differently, acting differently, and treated his
loved ones poorly. He even wanted to get revenge on the man who had killed his uncle
years before. Before he had gotten power, he would have never wanted to cause pain to
anyone else. Because of the corruption this suit and power caused, he went so far as to
lose the love of his life, Mary Jane Watson (Spider-Man 3). Much like Spider-man, some
of our everyday heroes become corrupt with their power.
Power can also take a role when it comes to everyday relationships. For example,
in many married couples, usually one person is the head of the household. According to
Jennifer Warner, “researchers found that wives, on average, displayed more power than
their husbands during problem-solving discussions, regardless of who brought up the
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topic of discussion.” The problem with this is that the husband in this situation is not
able to voice his opinions without getting shot down by his wife. In a healthy
relationship, it is important that both spouses get an equal say in decisions. To decrease
the amount of divorces happening in today’s society, it is important that power hungry
spouses attempt to share responsibilities and decisions together.
Relationship expert, Allie Ochs, feels that there is an exact reason as to why
power corruption occurs in romantic relationships:
Power in romantic relationships are partially rooted in our past. If we
experienced control while growing up, we want to control our romantic
relationship. If we didn’t receive enough love, we want to control
our partner’s love for us. It is all about getting our needs met. (Ochs)
It is understandable that those who have struggled want to change their lives from
unpleasant events in their past. However, instead of controlling others, a way to meet
needs could be to talk to a significant other about their past problems. By communicating,
it helps the significant other know that help is needed and can help resolve the problem
instead of causing corruption.
Corruption exists psychologically, in the media and in everyday relationships. It
can easily be eliminated if someone in power takes a step back. Taking a step back to
recognize that there are other people in the world and that power is overrated can greatly
help the corruption in the world. A responsible leader helps organize his workers in a
respectable way to help many people feel like a leader. It is important to make sure a
plethora of people feel equal and important, so by reducing the amount of power one has
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can greatly help this problem. Spreading the power can help prevent corruption and can
create happiness amongst peers and workers all around the world.
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Works Cited
Ochs, Allie. Overcoming Power Struggles in Relationships. 2006. Better Living. Web. 3
Mar.2009 <http://www.betterliving.co.nz/content/love/personal-problems/PowerStruggle-Relationships.aspx>.
Quiet Rage: The Stanford Prison Experiment. Dir. Philip Zimbardo. Stanford University,
Web. 2008 <http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=69359224833200591885
&ei=IZ
OHSfzdFo3I-gHqirn9Cg&q=stanford+prison+experiment&hl=en&dur=3>.
Spider-Man 3. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Toby Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. 2007. DVD.
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc, 2007.
Warner, Jennifer. Wives Wield Decision Power in Marriage. Ed. Louise Chang MD. 9
July 2007. Web MD. 3 Mar. 2009 <http://www.webmd.com/sexrelationships/news/20070709/wives_wield_decision_power_in_marriage>.